GameStop hires Home Depot executive as COO

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GameStop, the worldwide chain of video game stores, has hired Paul Raines as its new chief operating officer, effective Sept. 7. Raines served as executive vp-store operations for Home Depot until Aug. 25, when the company announced he was leaving for another job and replaced Raines with Marvin Ellison.

GameStop brought in Raines as part of a senior management restructuring that promoted the current COO, Daniel DeMatteo, to CEO.

“We are also extremely pleased to have Paul Raines join our executive team as COO,” said DeMatteo in the announcement. “He brings a wealth of retail operations expertise and has an impressive track record with executing strategies to support the customer experience and drive positive results.”

Raines, 44, spent eight years with Home Depot in various management positions in retail operations, including president of the southern division. Prior to Home Depot, he spent four years in global sourcing for L.L. Bean and 10 years with Kurt Salmon Associates in their consumer products group.

“The opportunity to help lead the GameStop team is truly energizing and a privilege," Raines said in a prepared statement. “I'm excited to be joining a vibrant company in a booming growth industry and be surrounded by such a committed group of executives."

Headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, GameStop operates 5,557 retail stores in 16 countries, selling entertainment software and video game systems and accessories. The company also owns two e-commerce sites, GameStop.com and EBgames.com, and publishes Game Informer magazine.